The Filson Historical Society Digital Projects

Browse Items (16 total)

  • This set contains images documenting the design and construction of a medical office building and its annex, located at 250 E Liberty Street, Louisville, KY, currently owned by the University of Louisville and utilized as Medical Plaza II (as of 2024). Designed by architect Jasper D. Ward, the set includes architectural drawings, elevation views, site plans, photographs, conceptual sketches, and a rendering, emphasizing the building's forked design and modernist style. Construction began in 1966 and was completed in 1972. The project was awarded the Portland Cement Association Award in 1971 for its innovative use of concrete.

  • These images show two architectural sketches by Jasper Ward, illustrating proposed shops on the Big Four Bridge in Louisville, Kentucky. The drawings, depicted in white on a dark background, detail a conceptualization of shop spaces integrated within the existing steel structure of the bridge. The sketches accentuate the industrial framework, prominently featuring structural elements like trusses and beams, creating a dynamic and intricate visual composition. The images emphasize Ward's vision of adaptive reuse, transforming the bridge into a thriving commercial area while preserving its historic industrial character.

  • The set contains architectural drawings and plans related to the "Louisville Windchime Gateway" project, an addition to the 6th Street Parking Garage in Louisville, Kentucky. Jasper Ward Architects produced these drawings and detailed the design and construction of the 28 ft. tall windchime gateway, a public art installation integrated into the garage. The documents highlight various views, including front and plan views of the windchime structure and the overall architectural integration with the existing parking facility. The project was a collaboration between the City of Louisville and the Parking Authority of River City (PARC) and received support from the Mayor's Advisory Committee for Public Amenities. The drawings include annotations and measurements, illustrating the technical and artistic aspects of the gateway's design. The design is attributed to Greg Schrodt.

  • The set contains architectural drawings and plans for a residential project called "House for Vernon Robertson, Nelson County, Kentucky," designed by architect Jasper Ward. It includes detailed floor plans for the first and second floors, foundation plans, elevations, sections, and detailed construction details such as the cistern deck and roof structures. Hand-drawn sketches and axonometric drawings provide three-dimensional views of the house's structure, illustrating the passive solar design, energy efficiency features, and complex roof design. In addition, the drawings include detailed construction techniques such as cross-sections of walls, roof trusses, and the integration of structural and insulation systems. These demonstrate the architectural firm's approach to spatial organization, material usage, and mid-20th-century architectural practices. These documents are important for understanding the design's technical aspects, architectural innovation, and construction methodology, reflecting the residential project's aesthetic and functional considerations.

  • The images in this set showcase architect Jasper D. Ward's innovative 1969 design for converting the Ballard Mills grain silos at 912 E. Broadway, Louisville, KY, into a mixed-use development featuring apartments, offices, and recreational spaces. This project exemplifies Ward's advocacy for adaptive reuse of existing structures, illustrating a bold approach to repurposing industrial buildings. The detailed architectural plans include 48 circular efficiency apartments, 84 split-level apartments, a restaurant, a recreation room, and a pool with a heated bubble atop the towers. A notable feature of the design is the pool, which was to be partially submerged within the bar area, allowing patrons to view swimmers through large portholes.

    The set comprises architectural drawings of various levels, elevations, and site plans. These include floor plans that demonstrate meticulous attention to detail and spatial arrangements, as well as exterior elevations that emphasize symmetry, window placement, and overall building massing. The recurring circular and curved motifs reflect an emphasis on both aesthetic form and functional space usage, contributing to the project's unique architectural character.

    Although this ambitious design was never realized, as the silos were demolished in 1972, these documents provide significant insight into mid-20th-century architectural practices, adaptive reuse strategies, and Ward's visionary approach to design.

  • This set consists of architectural drawings, sketches, and conceptual renderings related to the design and development of residential and utility structures by Jasper Ward. The Walter P. Swain, Jr. House, located on Johnston Dr. in Watchung, New Jersey, was designed by the firm Ward-Knight and built in 1952. The residence was constructed of mahogany, white marble, reinforced concrete, and glass and sits on 7-acre site. It was awarded the American Institute of Architects, National Award of Merit in 1956. The set includes sketches of the garage and house extension, emphasizing functionality in residential design.

    The main focus is on a solar envelope house with detailed floor plans, cross-sectional views, elevation drawings, and perspective renderings. Annotated diagrams illustrate the movement of air and heat within the solar envelope house, showcasing the integration of solar features into the building's overall aesthetic and functionality. These materials highlight energy efficiency and passive solar design strategies typical of mid-20th-century sustainable architecture. (Note: Documents relating to the "solar envelope house" may refer to the Swain house, but it is unclear if the home used solar energy. These documents may relate to the Vernon Robertson Solar House instead.)

  • This set contains architectural drawings for a garage addition to the David Wilson House in the Benchmark subdivision in New Albany, Indiana, designed by Jasper Ward in February 1980. The set includes detailed cross-sections, elevations, and floor plans, showcasing the design and structural elements of the garage addition, such as the roofline, interior loft space, and exterior facade. These drawings provide insight into this project's architectural style and construction details.

  • Louisville Ballet dancers Helen Starr and Dale Brennan performing for press photographs. The pair portrayed a couple in Domy Reiter-Soffer's Holocaust remembrance ballet entitled A Time to Remember. The performance premiered at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 25, 1995.

  • Newspaper of the Louisville, Kentucky, Jewish Community Center and National Council of Jewish Women's Club 60. The publication includes an article beginning on page 3 that details the youth, immigration, and subsequent settling of Jewish Frenchman Jacques Wolff (1903-1977) in the United States. Includes his service in the French army, and his personal losses to the German army and the Holocaust, after which he was able to work in wholesale business in Louisville, Kentucky. Jacques was the husband of Denise Wolff, one of the founders of Club 60.

    Pages 6-8 are missing from the original version in the Filson's collection.

  • Transcript of an oral history interview with Roosevelt Chin (1933-2007) conducted by interviewer Sloane Graff in the spring of 2002. Chin discusses his parents's immigration to the United States and their lives as Chinese restaurant owners in Louisville, Kentucky. He recounts his childhood association with Cabbage Patch Settlement House and his later paid work there, beginning in 1953.

  • Letter of Private Benjamin Bridges from his enlistment at Fort Gibson to his father George Bridges describing an unsuccessful two month march on Pawnee territory to find a captured soldier.

  • Advertisement for a fundraiser by the Black women of the Baptist Church in Frankfort, Kentucky, on December 2, 1847 at 7:00 PM. The advertisement notes that "A Good Supper, Oysters, Jellies, Salads, Ice Creams, Cakes, &c. &c., will be offered for sale on reasonable terms." The advertisement delineates that white attendees "will be waited on from 5 to 6 o'clock," before the main fair.
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  • Front elevation and plot plan for Mr. and Mrs. Dillman Rash's residence on Cherokee Gardens lots 66 and 67 in Louisville, Kentucky.

  • Broadside poem describing the valor of Kentuckians at the Battle of New Orleans.
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  • Architectural plans by Joseph & Joseph architects. These drawings detail Jewish Louisville architects Joseph & Joseph’s plan for all floors of their new Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) building at the corner of Second and Jacob streets. The new building plans reflected the YMHA's expanded efforts to provide educational and cultural programs to Louisville's Jewish community in addition to recreational amenities. The plans show the new building's facilities, including a library, classrooms, billiard room, and a two-story gymnasium with an elevated track. The drawings also indicate materials used, such as marble for the shower stalls in the basement.

    This item is included in the Bricks and Mortar, Soul and Heart: The Evolution of Louisville's Young Men's Hebrew Association and Jewish Community Center 1890-2022 digital exhibit at: https://filsonhistorical.omeka.net/exhibits/show/ymha-jcc-louisville/second-and-college-1913-1955

  • Mourning quilt made by Elizabeth H. Bates Durrett (1831-1889) who lost one daughter, Florence Montgomery Durrett (1863-1869) at age six and a second daughter, Lily Bates Durrett (1859-1881) at the age of 21. The mourning quilt was made using material from her daughters' clothing.
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